FILE - In this June 4, 2013 file photo, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, center, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing investigating the growing epidemic of sexual assaults within the military. The number of reported sexual assaults across the military shot up by more than 50 percent this year. Defense officials suggest that victims are becoming more willing to come forward. The increase follows a tumultuous year of scandals that shined a spotlight on the crimes and put pressure on the military to act aggressively. From left are, Judge Advocate General of the Army Lt. Gen. Dana K. Chipman, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno, Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Brig. Gen. Richard C. Gross, and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)